Nashville Police Seek Help In Solving Murder Of 12-Year-Old Girl

Yhoana Arteaga was found dead in her family's home less than an hour after texting her mom.

Police in Nashville, Tennessee, are trying to solve the tragic, mysterious death of a 12-year-old girl.

Yhoana Arteaga’s family was devastated when they came home to discover that she has been murdered last Thursday. According to People.com, police said that the young lady had been “brutally killed” and not much else.

While authorities are not saying what exactly happened to Yhoana, they have revealed that there was evidence she had suffered “blunt force trauma.”

“This is a horrible, brutal thing,” Nashville police Sgt. David Kautzman told reporters during a press conference. “I’ve never seen anything this brutal in my entire career.”

The Huffington Post reports that Yhoana’s mother last saw her alive around 12:30, when she had come home to have lunch with the girl before heading back to work. The last time Yhoana’s mother had heard from her was around 5:30, when the 12-year-old texted her about someone knocking on the door of their home. Police report that she was found dead around 6:45 when her mother and siblings came home.

Her family has also said that her “clothing was in disarray” when they found her. According to People, police said their was no obvious sign of forced entry. This has lead cops to believe that Yohana may have known her killer.

According to People, authorities are speaking with Yhoana’s peers to see if any of them might “have any information that could help further the investigation.” They are seeking out information from the community, but their search hasn’t turned up any lead just yet. However they are analyzing several fingerprints found in the home during their investigation.

“Thus far, helpful information from citizens, through Crime Stoppers or otherwise, has been very limited,” the Nashville police department said in a statement. “Detectives are optimistic that a meaningful lead or leads will result from scientific testing being conducted by the MNPD Crime Laboratory,”

Despite the lack of helpful infrormation, the Nashville PD is still making this case a priority.

Anyone with information should call Nashville’s Emergency Communications Center at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.

In the meantime, the community remains in shock, but People reports that many came together to remember Yohana during a candlelight vigil this week. Her school also a posted a message of rememberance for the young lady.